Want to find a hidden gem? Ask Reddit.
The amount of anime shows that are released every season is staggering, and it's understandable that some of the shows fall under the radar. Shoujo was not the most popular target demographic for anime releases in the past few years, the attention of the audience mostly focused on battle shounen, so some series that were actually pretty interesting ended up overlooked in the general hype. But Reddit remembers everything and starts digging up some old shoujo releases that were forgotten alongside the more recent ones.
One of the newest shows that a few redditors mentioned is Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts (Niehime to Kemono no Ou). This show follows the story of Sariphi, a girl who's destined to be a human sacrifice to the king of the beasts. She looks frail, but her tiny body hosts a very powerful spirit devoid of fear. The king likes it and grants her some freedom, and as they cohabitate, awaiting the day of the sacrifice, some feelings start to bloom. One of the main selling points of the series is its characters. Sariphi has a strong will and never gives up, hoping to help the worlds of humans and beasts unite and do everything in her power to achieve that. Her feistiness and honesty melt the hearts not only of Leo, the king, but other beasts, who join her in her quest. It's a story that has a compelling narrative that stems from the romance while the romance itself plays a huge role in how the events are unfolding.
Another recent show, released in 2022, is Raven of the Inner Palace (Koukyuu no Karasu), though it technically falls into josei demographic and not shoujo. It's an intriguing story filled with mystery and politics on top of creating human bonds. The main selling point is the mystery behind the main character, the Raven Consort, or Shouxue. She is torn between her position as an advisor to the king and her human desire to have a fulfilling life. And the show slowly but surely explains her position and her predicament in a masterful way. This is not just another show with a historical setting: it has unique characters that make it special.
One work that has been mentioned quite a few times despite being pretty old is Revolutionary Girl Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena), which is dubbed as "mahou shoujo version of Neon Genesis Evangelion". And in some ways it's true: the story is a wonderful mix of surrealism, psychology, absurdity, comedy, romance, and existentialism. It's a weird original anime peppered with symbolism, deriving a lot of visual and even some plot points from the shoujo staple, Rose of Versailles, yet applies it in a unique way.
Another show that fits the mahou shoujo genre is Sugar Sugar Rune. It focuses on two witches who can see human hearts and need to collect them to win a contest and become the Queen of the Witch World. At first, it feels just like a fun game, but as the story unravels it goes deeper, becomes more serious, focusing on jealousy, friendship, and love. These topics are pretty common for mahou shoujo, but the way they are presented here is uniquely twisted. It's fun and flirty, but doesn't stop at that.
A lot of people named Snow White with the Red Hair (Akagami no Shirayuki-hime) as one of the overlooked shoujo series. It's about a quirky and diligent girl Shirayuki working as an apothecary who ends up as a certain prince's love interest. But she doesn't want to become his concubine, so she cuts her hair and flees into the forest, where she meets a few more people and, as a payment for their goodness, strives to become the best herbalist in the neighboring country. The main joy of this show is the characters, because the story is pretty dull and straightforward. Shirayuki's relationships with the person who saved her after an escape attempt develop in a very natural manner, with no rush and no nudging. And Shirayuki herself resembles Yona from Yona of the Dawn (Akatsuki no Yona).
This similarity is also prominent in another recommendation, The Story of Saiunkoku (Saiunkoku Monogatari). In this show, Shuurei Kou dreams of becoming a government official, and she has all the skills to achieve that position, but this job is forbidden for women. But fate works in miraculous ways and she is offered the position of a consort to the young emperor: a lazy person who prefers the company of men to his duties. And her task is to make a respectable and responsible ruler out of him, one who's capable of leading the country to success. This show is special because it disguises intricate political doings under the reverse harem. It's 39 episodes long, and this length allows all the characters to be properly introduced and all the plot lines to be resolved.